January 29, 2024

It is the winter of our discontent. From the office where I now sit, I can see the damage the recent fire and flooding has caused our beloved town. I can see a perfidious, purple cloud of smoke still rising from a large section of the garbage dump. I can smell the lingering, malodorous tang of burnt plastic and toxic chemicals once thought to be buried too deep underground to be detected. I can hear the hammering of workers as they repair the molding of town hall, the floors of which were warped by water damage so severe that the wooden boards laid by none other than town founder Reginald Willey had to be replaced one by one.

In the midst of all this wreckage, I can also hear the tiny whimpers of the many townspeople asking in a troubled chorus: How? How? How could a thing like this have even happened?

And the answer is this: our momentary happiness was our downfall. Yes, like many of you, I was betrayed. I was overcome by the faint whisperings of transitory bliss, by photos of sweet-faced cats, by a distant dream of domestic tranquility, which was not to be mine, never to be mine. Like you, I put my faith in an irresponsible, fey town council who had been warned about the dangers of the power substation and an outdated sewer system over and over again and who chose not to act, who instead of using a budgetary windfall to build a one-of-a-kind ice ring, chose to increase pensions for town employees, including themselves. Like you, my dear town citizens, I too was bamboozled.

But the fire and flood have cleared the dewy mist and your mayor is now as clear-eyed as ever. And I vow to you that this town, this region will rid itself of the fog of mediocrity and burning plastic once and for all. Yes, this town has always been at its best when facing adversity. After the fire that destroyed the town hall, this town was rebuilt. And after the second fire, this town rebuilt itself once again. And so I promise you this: all the houses and buildings damaged by the fire and flood will be repaired. The winter carnival will be rescheduled. And the town council will be held responsible for its inaction and perfidy.

I see a new light glinting brightly from the corner of my office window and know it is not the fire that has raged in the garbage dump these last six weeks. It is the future. And I ask you to join me in making that light real.

Question Mark will rise once again and together we will all be there.

Mayor Elizabeth Zisk

October 7, 2023

I'm writing to you today, my friends and fellow citizens, with a note of excitement and anticipation regarding some recent developments in our modest town.

Fall brings with it a powerful sense of expectation. The trees throughout Question Mark Woods bare their brightest colors, reminding us shorter days are coming, while we find other important changes now at hand.

As many of you know, over the last few months we’ve confronted the disappearance of a number of beloved though unnecessary objects, a few spoiled pets, even a young child—though it is regrettable to say—whose vanishing could have most definitely been avoided with some common sense and a better understanding of personal responsibility.

The discovery of The Void has changed everything. We now find ourselves on the brink of a great, impossible windfall which has the power to change the fortunes of this community for good, lifting this town out of its decades-long doldrums.

Working with the town council, I, as your mayor, have exploited this opportunity to the fullest extent possible, even going so far as to conjure up imaginary conversations with my long-dead husband, asking myself: What would Thompson do?

The answer from him is always, regrettably, Run and hide the money, which just will not do in a circumstance such as this.

And yet, I am very proud to announce that, in a short amount of time, our town has seen a steady uptick in ticket sales to The Void, and in conjunction with projections from parking fees, the town is on track to rake in unprecedented earnings, something that has not happened since my first term as mayor, when new parking regulations were first introduced.

But we must be clear-eyed and steady in this magnanimous moment of change, as such strokes of good fortune can shift swiftly, especially in the tourist attraction business. This is one reason why I want to suggest we invest the town’s recent earnings in the Thompson Zisk Memorial Ice Skating Ring. Many of you know how fond Thompson and I were of ice-skating together and, with the approval of this new incoming-generating facility, many of you less fortunate souls new to the sport will finally have the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of gliding hand in hand with the person you most love in the world, blind ambition and all.

To that end, I will be adding an amendment to be voted on at our upcoming town elections on Tuesday, November 7.

I look forward and expect your support in this important matter.

Mayor Elizabeth Zisk

June 2, 2023

I'm writing to you today because, as a town, we now find ourselves at a turning point, a moment of change, a moment of incredible possibility but also a moment of very real difficulty, a crisis of belief.

As you know, over the last several months, we have experienced a number of challenges and disappointments, including the ongoing disappearance of many small, useless objects including but not limited to: shoes, street signs, and excitable pets. And while my heart breaks for those who have lost something, the hastily-written emails, mumbling phone calls, and conspiracy-oriented internet posts do little to solve the problem at hand.

Some of you seem to have given up believing in the majesty of our town as the latest Mother's Day Parade and Pageant grimly displayed. While some of us are doing what we can to make Question Mark a citadel of progress and economic prosperity, others want to focus on "finding out the truth" and playing the blame game. I, for one, will not be part of this childishness. I am for moving forward, regardless of what has been lost. And the truth? In this day and age, what does "the truth" really matter anyway?

When my husband, Thompson Zisk, became mayor and died only three months later in a fire at the Cell-Con plant, did "the truth" bring him back? No, absolutely not. This is not a fairy tale. This is reality. When your $3000 suit catches on fire and engulfs you in an incredible purple ball of fire, that is pretty much it. So no, "the truth" did not help.

When the moment came, did "the truth" hand me tissues, get me out of bed, and force me to put on a Chanel dress to announce I would be taking my husband's position? No.

When reporters began asking questions about my husband's possibly extralegal business dealings, did I turn my face from the public and run and hide because of "the truth?" No.

Let's be honest. "The truth" is for people who don't have anything better to do. And Question Mark has always been a thriving, bustling town, too busy for gossip and scandal.

So I say: summer is here and with it the opportunity to move forward and to forget about some missing cat. The trees are full of flowers, the woods are busy with insistent life, and, all around, Question Mark is made anew.

Mayor Elizabeth Zisk

January 25th, 2023

I’ve been asked to say a few words about Question Mark. As its six-term mayor, and the longest-serving public official in town history, all I can say is that I love this place and I know you will love it, too.

Did you know I was born and raised in Question Mark? I wasn’t. I was born in Akron actually, and came here with my late husband Thompson in 1995 to open one of the country’s first mobile phone factories. Although that all ended somewhat tragically with the loss of the factory and the loss of my husband also, it did force me confront my grief and to abandon my career in what was then called paid-promotional-programming. (If you ever bought a Branson Port-a-Grill, I’m sure you’ll remember me! I was the one in teal!)

Was there sadness in my life before that? Possibly. But who among us hasn’t faced loss? Who hasn’t touched the void and been forced to come out the other side with a brilliant new perspective on themselves and the world?

Anyways, the town of Question Mark gave me the chance to enter politics with little to no experience. And what history the two of us have made together! From the introduction of a unique partnership with The University of Ohio extension Experimental Crop Station (in development) to the revitalization of a tannery industry (still pending), we’ve begun to set this town back on a path to prosperity for every business owner, every taxpayer, and every legal voter.

I’d also like to take the time to explain what happened with my singing of the national anthem last Sunday at the Winter Carnival but have been advised against it. But believe me those words are near and dear to my heart, each and every one of them. I know saying the wind was to blame is a little much, but believe me, if you were standing where I was standing, the same thing would have happened. Everyone who knows me knows I sing the national anthem before each and every meeting.

Please don’t hesitate to call on me with any concerns or questions about our incredible town.

Mayor Elizabeth Zisk